NAWABSHAH, April 29: The special industrial zone of Nawabshah would be renamed as Shaheed Benazir Bhutto special industrial zone. This was decided at a meeting which discussed ways and means to revive special industrial zone Nawabshah at circuit house here on Monday.

District nazim Faryal Talpur told the meeting that the industrial zone was established during Peoples Party government back in 1993-94 but unfortunately the successive governments did not pay any attention to it due to which the province incurred economic losses.

She said that its revival would not only promote industrialisation but also provide job opportunities to the skilled and unskilled locals. Besides, all other benefits, the revival would boost the economy of Pakistan and stop migration to urban areas.

She said that the government would also be approached for the activation of Nawabshah airport to provide maximum facilities to the business community as well as local people.

Briefing the meeting, Abdul Rasheed Solangi, Managing Director of Sindh Industrial Trading Estate, said that federal government had launched 12 special industrial zones in the country in 1993-94.

He said that in Sindh, three zones i.e. Larkana, Keti Bundar in Thatta and Nawabshah were approved out of which only Nawabshah could be executed.

He informed that SIZ Nawabshah has all basic infrastructure and facilities which included road, sewerage lines, oxidation pond, raw water channel, gas, grid station for electricity, telephone and it was close to main railway line, airport as well as the National Highway.

He said that an area of 239 acres was acquired by SITE by paying Rs10.313 million in 1993-94 out of which 141 acres were allocated for various industries and only 78 acres was left which was insufficient and the zone required an additional land of at least 1,000 acres.

He said that SITE has prepared and got approved schemes of Rs78.57 million, including completion of filter plant (Rs34.69 million), establishment of fire station (Rs10.23 million) and construction of open channel and culverts (Rs33.65 million) from the Sindh government in ADP-2007-08 and an amount of Rs30 million was released for which tenders were also invited.

The meeting decided to approach the federal government for special grant of Rs2,000 million for provision of infrastructure facilities to the proposed extension of zone. It was also decided that fiscal incentives and policies would be announced through the federal, Sindh and district governments regarding tax holidays to attract the new investors.

The meeting also discussed the security issues pertaining to foreign and local investors and arrangements would be made to provide all facilities to them.

An investment conference would also be called in Nawabshah under the chairmanship of prime minister or the chief minister Sindh to attract leading businessmen and industrialists to set up their units here. The meeting also decided to rename the zone as Shaheed Benazir Bhutto special industrial zone.